My very first Elizabeth Hoyt turned out to be a delightful introduction into her work. The Raven Prince which is the first book in the Princes trilogy certainly wets a reader’s appetite for more of Elizabeth Hoyt and that is exactly what happened throughout this wonderful story with its larger than life characters and the sizzling sexual tension that seemed to be so much a part of this whole story as it unfolded.

Anna Wren is a widow going on for 6 years and lives in Little Battleford with her mother-in-law and maid in a small cottage. Dire financial circumstances has Anna seeking employment with the reclusive 5th Earl of Swartingham, Edward De Raaf who is legendary for his ominous temper which had driven away the two previous secretaries in his employment. Scarred from smallpox from which he had been the sole survivor of his family, Edward prefers the seclusion the countryside offers and has every intention of filling up his childhood home with family and warmth once again, as soon as he manages to arrange for his marriage with a lady of suitable pedigree.

When Anna enters his life with her intelligence, quick wit and warmth, Edward sees beyond her prim and plain exterior into the woman at heart, a woman whose body tempts him unlike any other. The need to possess Anna in the most wickedest ways possible drives every sane thought from Edward’s mind until he is forced to come to the decision that a tumble in the most notorious whorehouse in London would cure him of his unwanted lust for his secretary.

When Anna finds out that Edward would rather seek the services of a whore than touch her, something deep inside of her that is already possessive of Edward and how his mere presence makes her feel makes her take matters into her own hands and thus she finds herself posing as a woman of the house, awaiting Edward to pleasure her in ways she has never even dreamed of.

Though the story was a bit slow in starting for me, I was well engrossed more than half way through, thoroughly enjoying the banter between Anna and Edward. Edward is a delicious hero, no two ways about it. I love heroes who are reclusive, those who are intent and focused on what they want and need and of course his brand of seduction when it comes to Anna, a side that he keeps hidden from the rest of the world was just sheer magic to revel in.

Anna was a wonderful heroine. She has that inner kindness deep inside of her that refuses to let society’s rule govern her actions. Anna is a woman who has been deeply hurt by her previous husband, a hurt that at first refuses to let her see just how much more she could have with Edward by her side.

Equally charming and maybe more so were the snippets from the fairy tale entitled “The Raven Prince” which I was racing through the chapters to reach its conclusion. I found the magic of the small snippets included enticing and beautiful at the same time, and for someone who to this day loves watching Disney cartoons, I cannot gush on enough about the short story included as part of Anna and Edward’s journey towards their happily ever after.